Twenty Times of Uzumaki Kushina
by Rikkudo
Summary: Since the day she was born, Kushina has developed a taste for defiance.
1. Chapter 1

**~o**0**O**0**o~**

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**Twenty Times Kushina Defied All Odds**

Chapter 1

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**~o**0**O**0**o~**

Uzumaki Kushina stares death in the face as early as the day of her birth.

She's born abnormally small, weighing in at only four pounds and six ounces. As if that isn't worrisome enough, while most newborns scream and cry immediately after birth, newborn Kushina simply stares straight ahead.

It's enough to make her own parents shiver when she fixes them in her unblinking purple-eyed gaze. But what scares them isn't the fact that her stare is so singular and intense—to the point that it becomes something a baby so young shouldn't even be capable of—what _scares_ them is that her mouth moves like she's trying to scream, her face contorting in ways that speak of absolute misery.

Not once does she actually scream.

Her parents panic.

Uzumaki Arashi uses every bit of his authority as clan-head to rouse all the healers within fifty miles. They come in droves to answer the call of the undisputed lord of Uzushio.

They poke and prod. Kushina squirms.

They check her breathing and heartbeat. Kushina vomits when they do.

All night she gets worse and worse to the point where not a single one of them believes she'll last till morning.

In a rage, Arashi throws them all out and warns to them never to show their faces in front of him again. He and his wife try everything they can think of, every old-wife's tale and every breakthrough discovery, but nothing seems to work.

Kushina remains in her perpetual state of silent screaming.

Nothing changes for hours.

To his shame, Arashi is about to give up when someone comes knocking loudly at the door to his house. With despairing motions, he makes to swing open the door and tell whoever it is that his family is in mourning, only to freeze when a shock of greying red hair and intricate hairpins greet his befuddled gaze.

Uzumaki Mito, still beautiful and strong at an age where most would be confined to a bed, beams at her grand-nephew. "Ah, Arashi-kun! You look so big and strong, and—" She trails off when she sees the soullessness in his eyes.

With a frown, Mito marches in and closes the door behind her.

As soon as Arashi tells his great-aunt that his daughter would very likely not live to see the morning sun, Mito bursts into action.

Seven blood seals, three obscure medical jutsu, and five hours later, Kushina is declared an adorable healthy baby. She's also the loudest thing that Mito has ever seen.

Tears streaming down their faces, Kushina's parents take her from Mito's arms. Their expressions radiate pure joy as they hug their wailing daughter tightly. Mito actually has to hold back tears of her own as her nephew and his wife coo at the child they thought they'd lost with voices that break with sheer relief.

"Our Kushina-chan. Our precious little Kushina-chan." Arashi can't stop himself from choking up.

His wife's teary smile is more than a match for what he feels inside as she whispers, "We'll always love and be there for you."

It's a promise that will never fade away.

Arashi feels this lump in his throat that just won't go away, but he pays it no mind. Feeling like the luckiest man alive, he kisses the top of Kushina's head.

"Always."

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**~o**0**O**0**o~**

**Author's Note: **_I've had this laying around for almost a year, and I finally decided to post before I completely forgot about it. Basically, this is one of those 'Twenty Times' stories. This is the first of twenty chapters, starting with Kushina's birth, then ending with her death (and perhaps beyond)._


	2. Chapter 2

**~o0O0o~**

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**Twenty Times of Uzumaki Kushina**

Chapter 2

Kushina proves more than a handful to deal with, even as a toddler. _Especially _as a toddler.

Her caretakers from the branch family are in hot pursuit as they chase her around the compound. How does she run so fast with those stubby legs?!

"Kushina, get back here for your bath!" they call, their voices pitifully desperate.

Little Kushina just giggles before making a ridiculously sharp turn. Unfortunately for her pair of ragged caretakers, it had rained the previous night, turning the usually grassy courtyard into a veritable muddy swamp.

With a cry, they slip and fall into the biggest heap of mud in the entire yard. Their clothes now sport mother earth more intimately than either of them have ever wanted, to the point that they'd have to marry soap and a scrub later in the day.

Spitting and cursing their luck, they pick themselves up only to see little Kushina standing at the edge of the swamp, giggling mockingly.

They stare in confusion.

Kushina stops and blinks with a look that's a bit too innocent.

They seethe. She planned this!

A wide grin spits her cherub face and her eyes are alight with mischief.

It didn't matter that she wasn't even two, she had definitely planned this!

"_KUSHINA!_" they howl.

The chubby toddler yelps and waddles away, two mud monsters in relentless pursuit.

It takes them a grand total of five hours of impromptu mudbaths, unruly animals, and angry shopkeepers to finally catch the child. It doesn't help that she's been butt-naked the entire time.

The scolding that the poor caretakers receive from Arashi-sama that day is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

In the middle of it, however, Kushina bursts into the room, once again wearing only her birthday suit, in an effort to avoid a second bath.

The two caretakers only look at each other while Arashi bellows at his daughter to _sit still_! Of course, the little monster ignores him entirely and plunges the orderly room into absolute chaos.

After that, it's decided.

Kushina isn't a handful; she's a little demon in disguise.


End file.
